Antlion larvae vs Soil Centipede (Myrmeleon sp.) | Project Noah

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Photo by CindyBinghamKeiser

Published on Project Noah

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Field Notes

Description:

The larvae make pits in sand/fine soil and unsuspecting prey crawl down into the pits. The larvae will flick sand, making the prey fall down into the center where it will grab it with its large pincers. The second image is of the underside of the larvae. The last image shows its prey down in the pit after the larvae grabbed it. I dug this one up for photo's then put it back where it was.

Habitat:

Front yard in a shaded yet dry area with fine, loose soil.

Reference Links:

larvae - BugGuide.Net

Species ID Suggestions

Comments (2)

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CindyBinghamKeiser

Hi Luis, this is a first for me as well. Thank you for your comment :)

Great series Cindy. I've seen the pits and how they trap their preys but never seen one outside. Thanks for sharing this.

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